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Local nonprofit continues to help Bahamas rebuild after Hurricane Dorian

Beth Warren and Alyssa Rose of the Abaco Rescue Fund tell Action News Jax they’ve worked tirelessly in the Bahamas recovery effort after Hurricane Dorian.

They tell Action News Jax the nonprofits have raised about $1 million to help in the recovery effort, which has helped cover supplies, evacuations, home renovations, deposits for people who are renting apartments, and more.

“We’re not stopping, we’re not stopping, we’re fighting for the Bahamas, for the Abaconians,” said Warren.

Warren says she’s visited almost every week since the Hurricane made landfall, and Rose tell us she’s been several times.

They tell us many nonprofits have left the Bahamas in the months after hurricane Dorian. As a result, they say their efforts are more important than ever.

Rose explained the ongoing struggles in some parts of the Bahamas.

“These people don’t have bottled water, they don’t have shoes, I mean you go there and you see a child with his toes poking out of his shoes, because they’re too small but that’s all the distribution center had,” said Rose.

In some respects, they tell us conditions have worsened for people living amid the destruction in the Bahamas.

“In a lot of ways, it’s worse,” said Warren. “Mold grows, mildew encompasses everything, a lot of the nonprofits have pulled out, they’ve run out of funding.”

They say the nonprofits have been able to do a lot of good with the money they’re raised so far. However, they tell us there’s still a lot of work to do considering damages in the Bahamas amounted to about $3.4 billion.

“The situation there in Abaco is still as dire as it was on Sept.1 when the hurricane hit,” said Rose. “People are living in mold infested houses, they’re walking 40 minutes to the only school that’s reopened within five towns in their area.”

If you’re interested in assisting in their effort, you can find more information on how to do so by visiting their website.